One-piece manually removable bottle cap



Sept. 3, 1963 F. J. s-r. JACQUES 3,102,653

ONE-PIECE MANUALLY REMOVABLE BOTTLE CAP Filed July 17, 1962 1 INVENTORFRANCIS J. ST. JACQUES so 44 F|G.6

ATTORNEY ONE-PIECE This invention relates to a bottle cap of the typeincluding a metal cup-like member having a crimped flange for crimpingonto the pouring rim or lip of a bottle and usually including a cork orother gasket therein. This type of closure is usually referred to as acrown seal.

The principal object of the present invention resides in the provisionof an improvement in this type of cap which allows the cap to be quicklyand easily manually removed without the use of any bottle opener orother tool; and the provision of a manually removable cap of the classdescribed which is made in but a single piece, but includes a mainsealing member which is diametrically slit although the two partsthereof are permanently attached adjacent an edge of the cap, andincluding a tab member which can be stamped out extending radially fromthe main sealing member and including a division resulting in two armseach of which is connected to one of the two parts of the main sealingmember at each side of the above described slit, at least one of saidarms being scored in such a way as to be quickly and easily breakabletherefrom; and the provision of a device as described in which the tabis provided with means normally overlying the top of the main sealingmember and having interengaging means for engaging both parts thereof,maintaining the same together in sealing arrangement with respect to thebottle to which it is applied but being easily manually removedtherefrom and bent outwardly to its substantially depending positionwherein it is quickly and easily flexed, even by merely shaking thebottle, in order to disrupt at least one of said arms to allow the twoparts of the main sealing member to be released from each other to allowthe entire cap to be quickly and easily manually removed from the bottletop.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 isa plan view of the new bottle cap;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation thereof, looking in the direction ofarrow 2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 62 butshowing the tab bent down;

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the cap in its final disrupted andremoved condition;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modification, and

FIG. 6 is an elevational View, looking in the direction of arrow 6 inFIG. 5.

In carrying out the present invention, the same is illustrated as acrown seal applicable to soda water bottles and the like. Thisconstruction embodies a main sealing member generally indicated at 10which almost but not quite is divided into two separate parts 12 and 14by reason of the member 10 being substantially divided diametricallyacross, even including one portion of the depending flange 16 which iscrirnped as usual in order to be applied to the pouring lip of a bottle.This slit is indicated at 18, and extends all the way through oneportion of the skirt 16 but does not extend through the diametricallyopposite portion thereof as represented by the reference numeral 20 inFIG. 4, so that the two parts 12 and 14 are secured together but areeasily separable to the position shown in FIG. 4, and in fact tend toseparate if not held together.

3,102,653 Patented Sept. 3, 1963 At the top portion of each member 12and 14, the same is provided with upstanding projection 22, there beingone of these projections at each side of the slit 1-8.

There is a tab which is stamped out integrally with the skirt portion16. This tab is generally indicated by the reference numeral 24 and ithas a head 26 with two apertures therein at 28, these aperturescorresponding to the projections 22. At its opposite end which isintegrally connected to the flange 16, the tab 24 is divided into twoarms 30 and 32, each of these arms being integrally connected withrespect to the flange .16 at opposite sides of the slit 18 as shown inFIG. 3.

The cap is originally provided with the tab 24 bent over the top surfaceof the member) and the projections 22 just conform to the size of theopenings 28 so that the tab can be snapped down with the projectionsengaging the openings 28 so as to aid in holding the two parts 12 and 14together in addition to the provision. of the arms 30 and 32 which alsoserve this purpose. In this condition the cap is passed through theusual automatic machinery and applied to the bottles to close the same.

When the bottle is to be opened, theuser merely inserts a thumbnailunder the free end of the tab at the point 34 indicated in FIG. 2. Thismay have a slightly raised lip if desired but this is not necessary.Upon moving upwardly in the direction of the arrow 36 in FIG. 2, theprojections 22 are released as shown in FIG. 3 and then a simple flexureor two of the tab either manually, or even simply by shaking the bottle,will be enough to disrupt the arm 32 from the edge of the flange 16,there having been originally provided a score line 38 as shown by theinterrupted line at this point in FIG. 3, so that this becomes disruptedas shown in FIG. 4 and the two parts 12 and 14 are then quickly andeasily moved apart to release the cap from the bottle lip. As a matterof fact, due to the inherent resiliency of the metal, this action isalmost automatic and little or no force is needed to spread thesemembers apart, it being only necessary to push slightly upwardly on theedge of the flange '16 with the finger in order to completely dislodgethe cap from the bottle.

A slightly different cap is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, wherein the cap 40is slit just as before, as at 42, and the tab 44 is integral with thecap with the two legs 46, 48, at least one of which is scored for thesame reason, but in this case the tab extends all the way across thecap, diametrically and has a downturned end 51} embracing the crimpingskirt. Also the projection on the cap 40 at 52, 52 may be rectangularand do not appear in FIG. 6 as they do not extend up above the topsurface of the tab. However, the operation is the same as before exceptthat the fingernail is inserted at the point 56 which again is theterminus of the tab.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

l. A closure cap comprising a sealing member adapted to be applied tothe mouth of a container, said sealing member including a cover portion,an annular depending crimping skirt on the cover portion, said skirthaving a slit therein, said slit extending substantially across thecover portion and substantially dividing the sealing member into aplurality of relatively movable cooperative partial sealing members, abendable tab integrally connected with respect to the skirt, said taboriginally extending over the top portion of the sealing member at eachside of the slit in the cover portion, interengaging means at each sideof the slit on the cover portion cooperating with means on the tabholding the partial sealing members together in closing the slit tomaintain a sealing relation With respect to the container to which itisto be secured, said tab being manually removable to free theinterengaging means to allow the plurality of partial sealing members totend to separate from each other to provide for removal of the cap fromthe container. 1

2. The closure cap of claim 1 wherein said tab includes a pair of armsconnected to separate portions of the skirt, one arm at each side of theslit, at least one of said arms being easily disruptable from said skirtto free the partial sealing members.

3L-The closure cap of claim 1 wherein the interenga ing means includesclosely fitting projections and apertures.

4. The closure cap of claim 1 wherein the interengag- 1 l 5. The closurecap of claim 1 wherein the tab extends only part Way across the cap.

6. The closure cap of claim 1 wherein the tab extends completely acrossthe cap.

7. The closure cap of claim 1 wherein the tab extends v completelyacross the cap and conceals the slit.

8. The closure of cap of claim 1 wherein the tab extends completelyacross the cap and a downturned terminal end on the tab. 7 I iReferences tilted in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS2,524,458

'France May 6,

1. A CLOSURE CAP COMPRISING A SEALING MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE APPLIED TOTHE MOUTH OF A CONTAINER, SAID SEALING MEMBER INCLUDING A COVER PORTION,AN ANNULAR DEPENDING CRIMPING SKIRT ON THE COVER PORTION, SAID SKIRTHAVING A SLIT THEREIN, SAID SLIT EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY ACROSS THECOVER PORTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY DIVIDING THE SEALING MEMBER INTO APLURALITY OF RELATIVELY MOVABLE COOPERATIVE PARTIAL SEALING MEMBERS, ABENDABLE TAB INTEGRALLY CONNECTED WITH RESPECT TO THE SKIRT, SAID TABORIGINALLY EXTENDING OVER THE TOP PORTION OF THE SEALING MEMBER AT EACHSIDE OF THE SLIT IN THE COVER PORTION, INTERENGAGING MEANS AT EACH SIDEOF THE SLIT ON THE COVER PORTION COOPERATING WITH MEANS ON THE TABHOLDING THE PARTIAL SEALING MEMBERS TOGETHER IN CLOSING THE SLIT TOMAINTAIN A SEALING RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE CONTAINER TO WHICH IT ISTO BE SECURED, SAID TAB BEING MANUALLY REMOVABLE TO FREE THEINTERENGAGING MEANS TO ALLOW THE PLURALITY OF PARTIAL SEALING MEMBERS TOTEND TO SEPARATE FROM EACH OTHER TO PROVIDE FOR REMOVAL OF THE CAP FROMTHE CONTAINER.